Remembering a Legend: Mayo Okamoto Reflects on Miho Nakayama’s Warm and Genuine Personality

It has been almost a year since that day that wrapped all of Japan in grief. On December 6, 2024, actress and singer Miho Nakayama passed away at her home in Tokyo. The tragedy occurred just before she was scheduled to depart for a concert in Osaka. She was only 54 years old—a death far too soon.

Read the first part here: [Miho Nakayama (aged 54) — Risa Tachibana and Etsuko Kitagawa Recall “Wonderful Memories”]

 

Performing Her Songs at a Karaoke Bar

Miho Nakayama left behind numerous beloved songs as a singer. Mayo Okamoto (51), a singer-songwriter who wrote and composed Nakayama’s 1996 release Mirai e no Present (“A Gift for the Future”), recalls their lavish two-person session.

“I first met Miho-san during a meeting about providing Mirai e no Present. We reunited two or three years later at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles after a work-related party. I happened to sit at the table next to her, and we exchanged contact information.

When she was living in Paris, she once invited me to her home. Miho-san cooked, we drank together—and she had a piano in her home. She, slightly tipsy, said, ‘Mayo-chan, play the piano,’ and as I accompanied her, she hummed Mirai e no Present while sipping wine. That moment has stayed with me ever since. Her passing is still hard to believe; I sometimes feel like Miho-san is still somewhere around.”

Nakayama also had an unexpected close friend. Jai (53) of the comedy trio Instant Johnson said they were so close that they met about once a week. They first met around 2016.

“One day, a friend invited me to a yakiniku restaurant in Yotsuya, and Miho-chan was there. My friend had secretly invited her without telling me. After eating, we moved to a karaoke bar. My friend left, and I was concerned about Miho-chan going home alone, so I walked her home that night. The next day, my friend told me that Miho-chan wanted my contact info, and from then on, the three of us hung out often.

Miho-chan was usually quiet, but she became talkative when drinking, and when she got tipsy, she’d playfully bite your arm (laughs). At karaoke bars, if you requested one of her songs, she’d happily sing. She was a really fun person to be around. Her passing is still hard to accept—I feel like saying, ‘What are you doing?’ But I’m getting older, so I also think, ‘I’ll be there soon, and maybe we’ll meet again then.’”

The shining star who captivated all of Japan continues to enchant many people even today.

From the December 12, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”